1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector disengaging mechanism in which when male and female connectors are left half-engaged, the connectors can be disengaged from each other by a rebounding force of a resilient member, and further, when the connectors are completely engaged, the connectors can be disengaged from each other with ease.
2. Background
Various types of half-engagement preventing connector devices have heretofore been known. For example, such a half-engagement preventing connector device as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei. 5-81967 and the like is known.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a pin-side connector 50 has therein a plurality of pin contacts 52 in a row and has attaching flanges 50a on both sides thereof. A socket-side connector 51 has therein a plurality of socket contacts 53 in a row. An electric wire 53a is connected to a socket contact 53.
The pin-side connector 50 has a boxlike housing 54 with an opening in the front portion thereof. Guide plates 55 are arranged within the housing 54 so that the guide plates 55 can partition the upper and lower portions of the housing in the middle. The guide plates 55 guide the socket-side connector 51 so as to be engaged with the pin-side connector 50. As shown in FIG. 7, the pin contacts 52 project from the rear to the front within the housing 54. A notched portion is formed in a middle portion of a top plate 54b. An engaging piece 56 is integrally formed with the top plate 54b so as to extend frontwardly from the notched portion. The front end of the engaging piece 56 is receded from the front end edge of the top plate 54b and is so flexible as to be curved slightly outward. An engaging projection 56a is formed on an inner end portion of the engaging piece 56.
The socket-side connector 51 has a boxlike housing 57 and is as large in size as to be fittable into the opening of the housing 54 of the pin-side connector 50. Pin holes 58 into which the pin contacts 52 are inserted and elongated holes 59 into which the guide plates 55 are inserted are arranged in the front of the housing 57.
A movable cover 60 covers the outer side of the housing 57 so as to be movable from the front to the rear while leaving the front and rear portions of the housing 57 exposed. An opening 61 into which the socket-side connector 50 is inserted is arranged in the front of the movable cover 60. This opening 61 is designed so large in size as to allow both side plates 54a, the top plate 54b, and a bottom plate 54c of the housing 54 of the pin-side connector 50 to be inserted thereinto, and further so large in size as to prevent the engaging projection 56a of the engaging piece 56 and the front end of the engaging piece 56 from being inserted thereinto because the engaging projection 56a of the engaging piece 56 collides against the outer side of the opening 61 and the front end of the engaging piece 56 collides against the edge of the opening 61.
Spring accommodating portions (not shown in the drawing) are provided on both sides of the housing 57 and the movable cover 60 so as to be diametrically opposed. Inside the spring accommodating portions are springs 64, which are accommodated as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 6. The movable cover 60 is biased frontward, i.e., leftward as viewed in FIG. 6, by the springs 64 at all times, and is retained by elongated holes 65 arranged in the upper portion thereof and projections 66 arranged on the upper portion of the housing 57. An engaging groove 67 engageable with the engaging projection 56a of the engaging piece 56 is arranged on the side portion of the housing 57. The engaging groove 67 engages with the engaging projection 56a when the connectors are completely connected to each other. This engaging groove 67 is arranged at such a position as to be normally concealed by the movable cover 60 and so as to appear when the movable cover 60 is moved.
When the connectors 50, 51 are engaged with each other, the pin contacts 52 and the socket contacts 53 come in contact with one another as shown in FIG. 7, and the engaging projection 56a engages with the engaging groove 67. At the time the connectors are engaged with each other, the springs 64 are compressed, and further the engaging piece 56 is covered with the movable cover 60, so that the engaging projection 56a can in no way come off from the engaging groove 67. As a result, the connected condition can be reliably maintained.
On the other hand, if the connectors are not completely connected, i.e., half-connected, then the front end of the engaging piece 56 collides against the edge of the opening of the movable cover 60 and the springs 64 get compressed. As a result, the movable cover 60 biases the engaging piece 56 by the pressure of the springs 64, which in turn separates both connectors 50, 51 from each other, not allowing the connectors 50, 51 to be connected at all.
The aforementioned connector device can prevent half-engagement. However, if one tries to engage the connectors by holding both side surfaces of the movable cover 60, movement of the movable cover 60 is blocked, which in turn prevents the connectors from being engaged. Further, since the engaging piece 56 is not covered with the housing 57 when the connectors are completely engaged, the engaging piece 56 is easy to move when an external force is applied to the movable cover 60. Thus, there exists the problem that the engaging piece 56 unexpectedly comes out even in the engaged condition.